Notes on Nature’s Bold Artistry: Brilliant, Blooming Butterfly Weed & Her Colorfully Patterned, Wild Guests …
Asclepias tuberosa – Our Beautiful, Native Butterfly Weed Catches the Golden Light of Summertime Along the Wildflower Walk
In search of inspiration for your next creative project; pattern, form or color play? Sometimes, you needn’t look further for fresh ideas than your own backyard! While out admiring the blooming butterfly weed in my Wildflower Walk yesterday, I happened to notice five examples of nature’s bold artistry on one garden plant. Asclepias tuberosa —as our North American, native butterfly weed is known in the botanical world— blooms in beautiful clusters of bright, citrus-punch orange. The tiny, nectar-loaded blossoms are popular with pollinators of all kinds; including bees, butterflies —like the fritillary pictured below— and hummingbirds. But other parts of this plant serve important purposes to wildlife as well. The leaves and stems of both butterfly weed and milkweed  —filled with sticky sap— provide sustenance to butterfly caterpillars; including the boldly striped larvae of the beautiful Monarch Butterfly. Asclepias sap is toxic to many of this caterpillar’s predators, providing the insect with natural defense. Small Milkweed Bugs —colored in bold red and black patterns— also look to Asclepias species for food; feeding upon the seed of this important native plant. Lady luck must have been walking with me yesterday as I strolled through the garden, because I happened upon not only eye-popping, orange blossoms, but wild black & yellow stripes and bold, modernist patterns all on one plant … talk about artistic inspiration!
A Bumble Bee and Fritillary Butterfly Share the Same Dining Table at Their Local Asclepias tuberosa
Last summer, I featured this beautiful, long-blooming summertime flower  —Asclepias tuberosa— in a plant profile. You can view additonal photos of butterfly weed in flower, and find more about this wonderful garden-worthy member of the milkweed family, by clicking back to that profile post here.
A Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar (Danus plexippus) in my garden, munches on its favorite host-plant: Â Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed). I am more than happy to plant plenty of flowers for both of us!
Yellow and Black on Orange: Another Beautiful & Colorful Guest, the North American Native Bumble Bee, Visits Asclepias tuberosa in Search of SustenanceÂ
And on the same plant, a Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii) scurries about beneath the leaves. This brightly colored bug feeds upon the seeds of milkweed and butterfly weed. Because milkweed is considered an agricultural weed, this insect is often regarded as a beneficial
Fritillary Butterflies Flock to the Nectar in Asclepias tuberosa – No Wonder It’s Commonly Called Butterfly Weed!
Asclepias tuberosa makes a great garden plant: pictured here along the Wildflower Walk with Amsonia hubrichitii, Asters, Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ and Clethra Alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’. Try it in combination with blue and violet flowers for a bold contrast. Or cool things off with a bit of silver, and white!
To read more about Asclepias tuberosa and its cultural preferences click here.
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4 Replies to “Notes on Nature’s Bold Artistry: Brilliant, Blooming Butterfly Weed & Her Colorfully Patterned, Wild Guests …”
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Great pictures! I have some of these in my garden and love them.
Hi there! I moved a massive clump of mine this spring and darned if it didn’t all survive! But I haven’t been seeing all that much action out there so far: so figuring that either I’m just not looking when the nectar’s available – or need to keep putting the water to it more often. Do you happen to recall what time of day it was when you were having all of the action on your Butterfly Weed? Thanks, D xo
@ Deb – In the morning, the butterfly weed is filled with bees. And in the afternoon, it is populated by both bees and butterflies, as well as the occasional hummingbird and even hummingbird moth! I notice there’s more activity when the wind is light and after a rain.
Love the post. i have been learning so much about butterflies and butterfly plants. Never heard of butterfly weed until today. Thank you for sharing the information and those wonderful pictures.